Referring to FIG. 1, a stator slot wedge 10 is an element which holds a stator coil 20 in place in a stator slot 30 of an electrical machine. One side of the stator slot wedge 10 faces the stator coil 20 while the opposite side faces an air gap between the stator 40 and a rotor. Magnetic stator slot wedges are commonly used as they offer several benefits compared with non-magnetic ones. Such benefits are: reduced core losses and hence reduced temperature rise, lower magnetizing current and hence improved power factor, reduced inrush current, more efficient motor. A typical magnetic stator slot wedge material may comprise 75% iron powder, 7% glass fabric and 18% epoxy resin.
However, magnetic stator slot wedges are more brittle than non-magnetic ones due to the high percentage of iron powder. It is known that magnetic stator slot wedges have a tendency to get loose and fall off the stator slots. This is caused by magnetic forces acting in the air gap and producing vibrations. The stator slot wedges are under consistent variable force, and if they are not sitting tight in the stator slots they start to move and wear at their edges to ultimately get loose enough to be pulled off the slots or to be broken apart.
A missing stator slot wedge can cause a rotor or stator winding failure (a catastrophic failure for the machine), and therefore it is important to detect a missing stator slot wedge at an early stage. A conventional procedure for detecting a missing stator slot wedge is to open the machine and by visual inspection search for debris in the stator. This methodology is costly since the machine must be dismantled. Therefore, there is a need to improve the existing condition monitoring methods for electrical machines.